Problem, action, impact.
Date
Reading Time
3.5 mins
There are no rules for writing. You’re free to approach it as you please.
Isn’t that a relief?
Having said that, it is useful to have certain frameworks to guide you.
Like planning a journey before you set off, having a tried and tested structure will help you end up in the right place.
If you’re writing a case study for your architecture or design project, a simple storytelling framework gives you the tools to hook your reader, keep them interested, and ideally, inspire them enough to pick up the phone.
Pick your path
There are plenty of storytelling frameworks to choose from. The Hero’s Journey. The Pixar Pitch. The Golden Circle.
But perhaps the simplest of them all is the three act structure: Problem, Action, Impact.
For hcma’s latest book, we helped tell the story of their Coronation Park Sports and Recreation Centre project using just that.
Here’s a little behind-the-scenes on how we did it.
The problem
Start by sharing why the project existed in the first place. What was the challenge the client was looking to solve? Was anything broken or missing?
You need just enough context for your next client to recognise themselves in it. Not every detail. Just the tension that made the project necessary.
For Coronation Park, we shared how the brief asked for two fundamentally incompatible things of the same building: a world-class velodrome for elite cyclists and a welcoming recreation space for the public.
To bring the tension to life, we described the two building types side-by-side.
“Velodromes are highly technical and inward looking — steep banked tracks, artificial lighting, and maze-like tunnels. Add in the reliance on artificial lighting, and for the casual visitor the whole experience can feel uncomfortable and intimidating.
“Community centres call for the opposite. Bright, inviting spaces that encourage connection, visibility, and opportunities to take part in any activity you choose.”
For the prospective public sector client, the challenges are relatable: an ambitious brief, competing stakeholder needs, and the need to deliver a technically demanding building without upsetting either party.
Curiosity piqued — how did they do it? — you can now show off your genius.
The action
Clients commission your problem solving, creativity, and ability to make astute decisions under pressure. The action is where they see it.
This is also the part most project stories either skip entirely or drown in technical detail. Both are a mistake.
You don’t need to document every decision, just pick one or two threads that best represent the project. Go deep on those and leave the rest out.
With Coronation Park, we focused the story on the single biggest design decision: what if the cycling track didn’t have to sit at ground level?
“By lifting the cycling track a full storey above ground level, we opened the central plaza to become the social heart of the building.
“Cyclists can still perform at an elite level, but the track no longer dictates who belongs where. Visitors can now shoot hoops, meet friends, or sit on the social stairs and watch Olympic cyclists racing overhead.
“A child’s first experience of sport might happen on the same afternoon a national team trains for a world cup.”
This one decision, told in plain terms, serves as the eureka moment. It shows how your practice thinks — which is exactly what a prospective client is looking for — and makes the design logic easy to follow.
The impact
Your story isn't finished when the building is complete. It ends when you can describe what's different.
This is the part we see too many case studies handle vaguely. "A more connected community." "Improved wellbeing." "A building that works for everyone." While they're not wrong, they hardly land with clarity.
The impact needs to be concrete enough for your reader to picture it.
At Coronation Park, families, gym-goers, and elite athletes now share the same building at the same time. They can shoot hoops, meet friends, or sit on the social stairs and watch Olympic cyclists racing overhead. A child's first experience of sport might happen on the same afternoon a national team trains for a world cup.
This single decision serves as the eureka moment.
Supported with compelling visuals, it shows how your practice thinks — which is what a prospective client is looking for — and makes the design logic easy to follow.
Three acts, any length
You can write a compelling project story in 300 words or 3,000 with this structure. The length isn’t the point. What matters is that all three acts are present, and each one is doing its job: the problem pulls the reader in, the action shows your thinking, and the impact paints a concrete picture.
If you’re not sure where to start, go back to your original brief. Act one is already written.
Still struggling to get started?
We’ve written case studies for architects, interior designers, and developers across all sorts of sectors and typologies, with packages designed to be straightforward from start to finish.
Just drop us a note.
